This Is Home
by Jesus' girl 4ever
Summary: Clint finds two children in a HYDRA base. He offers to take them back to his farm. Maybe, just maybe, he and Laura can show these kids what home means. Featuring lots of Daddy!Hawk.
1. The Twins

**This is Home**

Disclaimer: I don't own.

 **Chapter 1: The Twins**

The cold gray walls of the HYDRA base never changed as Clint Barton crept through its halls, his loaded bow in his hand, a loud firefight echoing behind him. He huffed. _How exactly did I get the job of clearing this place of civilians again? I haven't even seen-_ Of course, just as that thought darted into his head, two loud screams-of mingled fear and anger, he thought-echoed throughout the corridors. He broke into a run, kicking open the door the sound had been behind. A man stood over two cowering children, trying to get them up. Some strange red mist was surrounding the girl's hands, and the boy was almost vibrating in place. Clint didn't take any more time for observation before his arrow was buried in the scum's back (anyone who would frighten a child that much on purpose was scum, in Clint's opinion, the HYDRA minion part only reinforcing the label).

He looked back at the kids, who stared up at him with wide, even more frightened eyes. He slowly and carefully put his bow back in his quiver, raised his hands to show them that he wasn't going to hurt them, and knelt down to be on their level. "Hi. I'm Clint."

They continued to eye him warily. He sighed. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise." When they still didn't speak, he added, "Do you speak English?"

 _ ***T*I*H***_

Wanda eyed the American (Clint, he had called himself) as she tried to subtly probe his mind with her powers. The red mist snaking toward him probably didn't help the subtlety much, though. _What do you think we should do?_ her brother's voice asked in her head.

 _I don't know, Pietro. He doesn't feel scary; he feels kind and... protective, I think,_ she replied.

 _So we should go with him?_

 _Do we have a choice?_

He conceded that point and turned to Clint. "Yes, we speak English. My name is Pietro, and my sister is Wanda."

He nodded. "Well, Pietro and Wanda, at some point I'm going to have to ask how you got here and what the red stuff coming out of Wanda's hands is, but, for right now, I've got friends who are ready and waiting to blow this place sky-high as soon as I tell them that I've gotten everyone who isn't HYDRA out."

"We're not HYDRA! Well, not by choice, anyway," Wanda quickly said.

"Didn't think you were. You'd have gone with Mr. Scary HYDRA Minion if you had been." He winked, stood, and held a hand out toward each of them. "Now, come on. We need to go."

With a cautious glace at each other, the twins grabbed his hands, and the three hurried out. "Do you know of anyone else I need to get out?" Clint asked.

They both shook their heads.

He nodded. "Good."

Wanda looked up at him. He still seemed to have only kind intentions toward them, but she was going to remain on her guard and keep feeling him out as best she could. _I won't let my brother be hurt again._ She had an inkling that Pietro was thinking the same thing.

 _ ***T*I*H***_

Clint could tell that the twins didn't actually trust him, but that didn't matter for the moment. He just needed to get them out. Finally, they reached the end of the hall, and he saw the quinjet outside. "Come on; into the quinjet," he urged the hesitant children. Thankfully, they obeyed. He showed them how to strap themselves in before taking the pilot seat and preparing for takeoff. The rest of the team loaded up soon after, giving the kids strange looks, but none of them said anything. Natasha broke the silence as she slid into the seat next to him. "Where did _they_ come from?"

"Found them. I think HYDRA experimented on them."

Once they were all there, Clint lifted off, and the HYDRA base billowed in a pillar of fire and smoke. "Fury's gonna love this," Nat muttered as they turned toward base.

Clint winced. "He sure is."

 _ ***T*I*H***_

"Would you mind telling me just what you were thinking, Barton?" Fury demanded, very much living up to his name.

"Sir, I was thinking that these kids didn't seem any more enthralled with HYDRA than I am and that they didn't deserve to be killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"He has a point, sir," Coulson said.

"I know he has a point, but the fact remains that we can't deal with this!" Fury's single eye fastened on Clint. "Tell me, Barton, do you have any idea how SHIELD can deal with two kids given superpowers by our worst enemy?"

Clint planned to say, "No, sir, I don't," but what came out was, "I'll take them home." He blinked in astonishment at himself, as did the other two in the room.

"Oh, you will?" Fury asked.

It was actually a good idea, Clint realized. "Yes, sir. They shouldn't be able to cause many trouble out there, and they might actually have a decent family life; they probably haven't had that in a while, if they ever did." He bit his lip. "Also, Laura will love them."

Fury sighed, and Coulson chuckled. "That's certainly true," the director muttered. "Very well, Barton. I'll release these kids into your custody on one condition."

"What might that be, sir?"

"If they prove to threaten national security (in more ways than just existing), you will take care of it."

Clint gulped. "Understood, sir." He saluted and excited the room, a slight smile spreading across his face in spite of himself. Pietro and Wanda were sitting on a bench nearby, waiting for him, with Nat between them. All three of them looked up when Clint came out. "So," he said, "are you three getting along?"

The girls shrugged, and Pietro muttered, "I suppose so."

"That's good, because I have to go somewhere today, and Nat will bring you later to join me."

"I will?" she asked.

"Yes, if you don't mind." He motioned for her to follow him a short distance away.

"Where are we taking them, Clint? What did Fury say?"

"Since my mouth works faster than my brain, we're taking them to my house."

Natasha blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. I've got to go ahead so I can tell Laura."

"She's going to kill you."

"I don't know...she might just fall in love with them."

"Oh, I don't doubt that. They're sweet kids, and she'll love them. But she won't be happy you said they'd come without asking her first."

He sighed (again. He had a feeling he'd be doing a lot of that in the near future.) "Believe me, I know. So will you bring them tomorrow?"

"Of course. You know I'm always up for a visit with Laura. Not to mention baby Cooper."

He grinned. "I wonder how much he's grown."

She gave him a light shove. "The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll find out."

Ten minutes later, he was on the road.

 _A/N: Title from "This Is Home" by Switchfoot (from_ The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian _)._

 _Young!Wanda is played by either Mary Kate Olsen or Ashley Olsen (Elizabeth Olsen's older sisters). I have no clue which one, but they look enough like Elizabeth now that I figured they would have looked similar as kids, too. Young!Pietro is a young Aaron Taylor-Johnson, so...yeah._


	2. Laura

**This Is Home**

Disclaimer: I don't own.

 **Chapter 2: Laura**

Clint eased the door open, grinning at the array of baby toys scattered everywhere. His smile grew even wider at the sound of little hands and feet crawling toward him. He leaned over and swept the baby into his arms. "Hi, Cooper!" He cuddled him close. "How's my baby boy?"

"I good, Dada."

Clint's jaw dropped. "When did you start talking?"

"A few weeks ago; you've been gone awhile," another voice said. Laura walked up, gently pressing her lips to Clint's. "Hi."

"Hi," he answered. "Sorry about that; since HYDRA suddenly showed up again, SHIELD's been busy with damage control."

She nodded. "I know. You know I understand." She sighed. "Doesn't mean I like it, though. Speaking of work, why are you here now?"

"Well...about that. You might want to sit down."

Laura closed her eyes. "What did you do?"

"Why do you automatically assume I did something?"

"Clint. What. Happened?"

He guided her to the couch. "Well...I...sort of told Fury that we would take in two kids that HYDRA messed with and experimented on and now have superpowers." He finally let it all out in a rush.

She blinked. "What?"

"Sorry?"

"You...agreed or volunteered?"

He groaned. "Volunteered."

"You volunteered to bring a pair of kids with superpowers to live with us without asking me first? A pair of kids indoctrinated by HYDRA, might I add? We have a baby around here, Clint, in case you forgot!"

He winced. "Yes, I know. But...Laura...if you had seen them...they were so scared. Just regular kids, superpowered or not. I just...I looked at them and thought, _What if this was Cooper_? I don't know; maybe I did something stupid. But I couldn't bear to see them locked up or worse, killed, for something they really have no control over and don't understand yet."

She bit her lip. "I wouldn't want that either."

"So you're...somewhat all right with it?"

She sighed. "Well, I can see your reasoning...and you know I could never bear to stand back and let two innocent kids be hurt, so...I suppose I am."

He nodded. "Good, cause Nat's bringing them here tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" she asked, a dangerous glint entering her eyes.

"Yeah, that was as long as I could talk Fury into letting them stay on the base."

"Well, if two kids are coming to stay here for an indefinite amount of time with no warning whatsoever, you, mister, have to help me straighten up the house and prepare the guest rooms for children."

He gulped. "Yes, ma'am."

 _ ***T*I*H***_

The next day, Natasha and the kids arrived, and Clint went out to meet them (Cooper had needed a diaper change right as they pulled up, so Laura was handling that.). "Hey. Thanks, Nat. You staying?"

"For a day or two, anyway. Fury says to take all the time you need and not to forget his orders."

Clint huffed. "Not likely."

"Do I want to-"

"No."

"I didn't think so." She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Where's my darling?"

"Laura's changing him." Clint held out his hands to the two kids. "Come on, Wanda, Pietro. Come meet my wife and son."

They slowly lifted their hands and took his, lightly, barely even holding on. He still counted it as a success as he led them into the house. "Honey? Company's here!"

"I'm coming!" Laura descended the steps, the baby on her hip. "Hello; you must be Wanda and Pietro."

 _ ***T*I*H***_

When Clint Barton told Wanda and Pietro that they were going to stay with him and his wife, Wanda hadn't really known what to expect. Clint was a scary SHIELD agent who was clearly capable of killing; what kind of woman would his wife be? However, the woman looked nothing like Wanda had imagined (and that was a good thing). The lady, a squirming baby in her arms, smiled at them kindly. She shoved-yes, Wanda realized, that was the right word-the baby into Clint's arms. "Oh, you poor dears. You look so tired. Are you hungry? Do you want a nap, food, a bath-"

"Laura, honey, let them breathe for a moment. Kids, my wife Laura."

"Hi…" Pietro hesitated, while Wanda's wide eyes were the only communication she could manage. He continued after a moment, "To answer your questions, I'm hungry. And maybe a little tired. But more hungry."

"Pietro!" Wanda hissed, elbowing him in the side.

"What? She asked!"

Laura chuckled. "Yes, I did. What about you, Wanda? Are you hungry?"

"Well…I suppose I am."

She smiled, reaching for the children's hands. "Come with me, then. I was planning to have sandwiches for lunch; is that all right?"

"Sounds good," Pietro declared happily.

"Whatever is easiest for you; we don't want to be any trouble," Wanda quickly added.

"Don't even worry about that, sweetheart." She glanced over her shoulder as they went into the kitchen. "Hey, Nat."

"Hey, Laura."

"You staying for a while?"

"If you'll have me."

"Of course we will." They entered the kitchen, and Laura ushered the twins to the table, saying, "Now, you two just sit down, and I'll fix our lunch. Do you want ham, bologna, turkey, or peanut butter?"

"Uh…" Wanda's brain was spinning at the options. She had never had bologna or peanut butter (that she could remember), so she just said, "turkey, I think?"

Her brother, of course, asked, "Can-can I have all of them?"

Laura laughed. "Well, I don't think peanut butter would go well with the other meats, but, yes, you can have all of the others. Do you want cheese?"

"Yes!" Pietro shrieked.

"Pietro!" Wanda snapped. "Don't shout inside. And, yes, please, Mrs. Barton, if it's not too much trouble."

"No trouble at all," Laura said pleasantly. As she set the sandwiches down on the table, Wanda realized that she was starting to like this woman. _It's been so long since we've had a mom…maybe…just maybe…_

 _A/N: No, this is not a oneshot. I can't promise how quickly it will be updated again, but…here's this for now._


	3. Laura's Opinion andYoungerSiblingBonding

**This Is Home**

Disclaimer: I don't own.

 **Chapter 3: Laura's Opinion and Younger Sibling Bonding**

After lunch, Laura and Clint took the kids to their rooms, leaving them alone to rest for a while. That gave the three adults (since Cooper was also taking a nap) time to talk. "So…am I still in trouble?" Clint asked Laura hopefully.

"Well…maybe. They're certainly sweet kids."

"They also have some pretty stunning powers," Natasha prompted.

"Yes, what can they do? You haven't told me."

"Well…" Clint said, trying to figure out how to express it. "He can run fast. And she…has telekinetic and telepathic powers."

"What?" Laura asked. "I mean, I get running fast. But what can Wanda do, in plain English?"

"She can move things with her mind and manipulate other people's minds."

"So…she's a Jedi."

"No-well. Yes, I guess she basically is."

Laura sighed. "Well, I'm certainly not going to turn away from a nice girl (and boy) like that for no reason."

"Many people would say superpowers is a good reason," Natasha pointed out.

She shrugged. "Maybe. I welcome two ex-assassins into my home on a regular basis, so…you can't really say I'm normal."

Nat laughed. "Fair point."

"What are we going to do? I mean, do you have a plan to raise them, in the real world, you know, where superpowers are considered dangerous?" She gave her husband a pointed glance.

"Well, you and Coop are already hidden pretty well, so we extend that to them."

"And how are we going to explain this to the school system? 'Oh, my husband found two superpowered orphans in Europe, and he brought them here…no, no, they're not actually here legally. I don't know how fluent they are in English, I don't know how much schooling they've had in the past, and they could snap and possibly kill everyone.' I don't think that would work, Clint."

"I'll…see what Fury can do. I imagine he could pull some strings." He hesitated. "Still, we might want to consider homeschooling them. They can get into less trouble that way, and they'll be harder for anyone to track and find."

"That's a good idea, especially since HYDRA might be wanting their superpowered twins back," Natasha added. "They'd be harder to find if they weren't in school."

"And…public schools are stressful places…I think I'm the only person here who actually went to regular school, yes?" Laura asked.

"Yes," Clint answered with a chuckle.

"Right. They…it would probably be easy for them to snap in a school."

"So, homeschooling?"

"We should look into it, anyway. As long as Fury can set up some legal documentation for them, because I'm sure we'll need that no matter what."

"I'll ask him when I go back," Natasha said.

"And when will that be?" Laura asked. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want, you know. You always are."

"Thanks. I think I'll be here for a day or two, but Fury wants either Clint or me around most of the time, so I'm going to have to go back."

"All right. We'll miss you, but thanks for doing it."

"I'm always glad to take things like this for you, you know that."

"Yes, well, thank you anyway." She sighed, laying her head on Clint's shoulder.

 _ ***T*I*H***_

Wanda shot up in bed, gasping, tears streaming down her face. _Wha-where am I?_ she thought, her heart racing. Even as she recalled what had happened, she basically fell out of bed and stumbled toward the door. _Pietro, I must make certain Pietro is all right._ However, her motion wasn't quiet enough to not draw the attention of anyone else, since a board creaked under her feet. She winced, knowing that someone would hear it. She opened the door and slipped down the hall. "Wanda?" she heard from the other end of the hall, where the staircase was. "Is everything all right?"

She turned to face Clint. "I-I have to check on Pietro."

He opened his mouth before snapping it closed and nodding. "All right." He led her down the hall, swinging a door open and gently guiding her in. She broke away from him and tiptoed toward the bed, smiling to see her brother sprawled on the bed, sleeping soundly. She let out a sigh of relief before slipping out, not wanting to disturb him. Clint closed the door behind her. "Feel better?"

She nodded. "Thank you."

"Do you want to go back to bed?"

She shook her head. "I couldn't sleep, not after the nightmare I had."

"Want to talk about it?" he asked as he, despite her answer, guided her back toward the room she had been sleeping in.

"No. No, I don't want to even think about it."

"I understand." He hesitated for a moment as they entered the room. He seemed to come to a decision as he sat on the bed, with Wanda climbing onto the bed beside him. "Who's older? You or Pietro?"

"He is, but just by twelve minutes."

He laughed. "Very important detail."

"Yes, well, he always reminds me that he is older."

"Oh, I'm sure. My…my brother did that, too."

"You have a brother?"

"I did. His name was Barney. We…we didn't exactly get along."

"What happened to him?" Wanda asked.

"He died. He had done some very bad things, and the consequences finally caught up with him."

Wanda swallowed hard. "I'm sorry."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's not your fault."

"I can only imagine how terrible it would be to lose Pietro for any reason, but particularly because he did some dumb things."

He laughed. "What he did was a bit more than dumb."

"Still, I'm sure it hurts."

"It does." He sighed. "But it's in the past."

"I guess." She sighed. "Clint?"

"Yes, Wanda?"

"What's going to happen to Pietro and me?"

"Well, if you'd like…Laura and I would like you and Pietro to stay with us, and maybe even adopt you, if you want, I mean."

Her eyes lit up. "You…you mean you want us? Even though we have these powers?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't we?"

"Since our parents died, no one really wanted us. HYDRA just wanted to…what's the English phrase…advantage us?"

"Take advantage of you."

"Yes, that. We lived in an orphanage for a while, and no one there wanted us."

"Well, we certainly want you."

She smiled. "Pietro might not be ready for that for a while, though. He might need some time to adjust."

He nodded. "Take all the time you two need; we'll be here for you, no matter what."

 _A/N: Guess what? I haven't abandoned this story! And I do plan to finish it (believe me, I've planned through Civil War; getting there is going to be the problem). So...yeah. Let me know what you think!_


End file.
